environmentNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94environmentThu, 11 Jan 2018 06:46:08 +0000environmenthttp://kut.org
Mose BucheleEvery year before Christmas, Loop 360 becomes the site of a uniquely Austin holiday tradition: The junipers along the highway are transformed into colorful Christmas trees. People have strong opinions about the custom. Some say it’s a heartwarming expression of holiday spirit; others consider it a flagrant violation of Texas' anti-littering laws. But one thing no one really knows is how the tradition got started.Who Started Decorating The Trees On Highway 360, And Who Cleans Up?http://kut.org/post/who-started-decorating-trees-highway-360-and-who-cleans
20122 as http://kut.orgWed, 10 Jan 2018 13:02:00 +0000Who Started Decorating The Trees On Highway 360, And Who Cleans Up?Alexandra HartFrom Texas Standard . Much debris has been cleared out, but three months after Harvey’s landfall, the ecological damage is still being assessed. Not long after the storm clouds cleared, oyster and shrimp farmers lamented the hit to their livelihoods from extensive rains and runoff. But researchers at the University of Houston at Clear Lake have been looking at the storm’s effect on other marine life, too – and they’ve discovered that bottlenose dolphins, have developed some puzzling ailments after the storm. Kristi Fazioli , a research associate with the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston Clear Lake, helps study this population.Galveston’s Bottlenose Dolphins Have Puzzling Ailments Since Harveyhttp://kut.org/post/galveston-s-bottlenose-dolphins-have-puzzling-ailments-harvey
19765 as http://kut.orgTue, 28 Nov 2017 18:43:23 +0000Galveston’s Bottlenose Dolphins Have Puzzling Ailments Since HarveyMose BucheleKathleen Hartnett White is facing scrutiny from U.S. senators today as part of her nomination to lead President Trump’s Council on Environmental Quality. Hartnett White was Texas' top regulator for six years. Her nomination to the White House post has proved controversial, even in an administration that is no stranger to controversy.Meet The Texan Climate Skeptic Who Could Run Environmental Policy At The White Househttp://kut.org/post/meet-texan-climate-skeptic-who-could-run-environmental-policy-white-house
19588 as http://kut.orgWed, 08 Nov 2017 18:24:29 +0000Meet The Texan Climate Skeptic Who Could Run Environmental Policy At The White HouseJennifer StaytonThe Great Smog was a pollution calamity that killed 12,000 people in London over five days in December 1952. At the same time, serial killer John Reginald Christie was preying on vulnerable women in the city and killed at least six.How A Serial Killer's 8 Murders Overshadowed 12,000 Deaths In An Environmental Disasterhttp://kut.org/post/how-serial-killers-8-murders-overshadowed-12000-deaths-environmental-disaster
19460 as http://kut.orgFri, 27 Oct 2017 10:01:00 +0000How A Serial Killer's 8 Murders Overshadowed 12,000 Deaths In An Environmental DisasterMose BucheleThe debate over rewriting Austin’s land use code has inflamed passions. People argue over how the plan, called CodeNEXT , will affect affordability, quality of life – the very character of Austin. Now, the proposal is exposing a division in Central Texas' tight-knit environmental community.CodeNEXT Exposes Divisions Over Density In Austin's Environmental Communityhttp://kut.org/post/codenext-exposes-divisions-over-density-austins-environmental-community
19432 as http://kut.orgTue, 24 Oct 2017 10:01:00 +0000CodeNEXT Exposes Divisions Over Density In Austin's Environmental CommunityU.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin constructing the first segment of President Trump’s border wall in November through a national wildlife refuge, using money it’s already received from Congress.Construction Of First Border Wall Segment To Begin Sooner Than Expected Along Rio Grandehttp://kut.org/post/construction-first-border-wall-segment-begin-sooner-expected-along-rio-grande
18602 as http://kut.orgFri, 28 Jul 2017 18:53:36 +0000Construction Of First Border Wall Segment To Begin Sooner Than Expected Along Rio GrandeMose BucheleThe legacy of Austin’s polluting past still lives in its soil. Parcels of land, especially on the city’s East Side, carry contamination from businesses and industries that long ago closed up shop. For the last several years, the city has had federal help cleaning up some of the land for new uses. But now that funding is under threat. The program that provides the grants would be slashed by 30 percent under the Trump administration's proposed budget. When asked about the cuts at a news conference in Austin last month, interim regional EPA administrator Samuel Coleman was circumspect. “The agency really looks forward to meeting with the appropriate committee staff, responding to questions," he said. "And then we will anxiously await the appropriation level that Congress provides." Over the last few years, Austin has received more than $1.5 million in EPA grants for these contaminated areas, or brownfields. The grants helped the city redevelop Mabel Davis Park and the African-AmericanEPA Program Austin Uses To Clean Polluted Land Could Be Slashedhttp://kut.org/post/epa-program-austin-uses-clean-polluted-land-could-be-slashed
18345 as http://kut.orgFri, 30 Jun 2017 13:03:49 +0000EPA Program Austin Uses To Clean Polluted Land Could Be SlashedMose BucheleGov. Abbott Wants To Put An End To Austin's Tree-Hugginghttp://kut.org/post/gov-abbott-wants-put-end-austins-tree-hugging
18162 as http://kut.orgFri, 09 Jun 2017 13:31:45 +0000Gov. Abbott Wants To Put An End To Austin's Tree-HuggingMose BucheleChristine Hawkes says her work isn’t all that glamorous. “Sometimes when people ask me what my job is, I say 'digging holes,'” she says. "You know? It’s a lot of what I do is just digging up soil.”How Digging Holes Across Texas Could Help Us Fight Climate Changehttp://kut.org/post/how-digging-holes-across-texas-could-help-us-fight-climate-change
18106 as http://kut.orgFri, 02 Jun 2017 12:01:00 +0000How Digging Holes Across Texas Could Help Us Fight Climate ChangeKUT StaffThe City of Austin was selected to receive two grants totaling $300,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help clean up brownfields, unused land that may be contaminated with hazardous chemicals.City Awarded $300,000 To Help Clean Up Contamination In East Austinhttp://kut.org/post/city-awarded-300000-help-clean-contamination-east-austin
18092 as http://kut.orgWed, 31 May 2017 22:26:06 +0000City Awarded $300,000 To Help Clean Up Contamination In East AustinMichael MarksFrom Texas Standard: Speed bumps are an annoying staple of subdivisions and parking lots. But beyond the headaches they give drivers, a new report from Imperial College London is giving people a whole new reason to talk about them. According to the report, the bumps in the road might be taking a toll on the environment.British Researchers Say Speed Bumps Are Bad For The Environmenthttp://kut.org/post/british-researchers-say-speed-bumps-are-bad-environment
17657 as http://kut.orgFri, 14 Apr 2017 19:52:14 +0000British Researchers Say Speed Bumps Are Bad For The EnvironmentMose BucheleIn 2016, Texas was one of the fastest growing states in the country, adding almost a half-million people in a year’s time. With growth like that, securing future water supplies will become critical, so Sen. Ted Cruz filed a bill to loosen regulations around importing water from other states. The idea is to make it easier for Texas to buy water from its neighbors. But some worry it could lead to environmental destruction.Ted Cruz Files Bill To Bring More Water, And More Invasive Species, Into Texashttp://kut.org/post/ted-cruz-files-bill-bring-more-water-and-more-invasive-species-texas
17621 as http://kut.orgTue, 11 Apr 2017 11:01:00 +0000Ted Cruz Files Bill To Bring More Water, And More Invasive Species, Into TexasMose BucheleAt the corner of 16th and Salinas streets, Leticia Hurtado and Yolanda Lopez are on the sidewalk formulating their plan of attack. The pecan tree they’re standing under has good nuts, but many of them are too far up in the branches to reach.Here's How a Pecan From a Sidewalk in East Austin Could Travel All the Way to Chinahttp://kut.org/post/heres-how-pecan-sidewalk-east-austin-could-travel-all-way-china
16216 as http://kut.orgWed, 02 Nov 2016 14:06:15 +0000Here's How a Pecan From a Sidewalk in East Austin Could Travel All the Way to ChinaRhonda FanningFrom Texas Standard: A Midland man was stung over 50 times and his dogs died after being stung over 1,000 times . In Texarkana, a swarm of bees surrounded a woman's car, trapping her inside . A man mowing his lawn in Raymondville was swarmed, suffered more than 200 stings , and died. A farmer in Lozano died after being stung more than 3,000 times . These are no ordinary bees. Entomologists call them killer bees, or Africanized bees – a hybrid of two species, the African honey bee and various European cousins. They look like European honey bees, stripes and all, but are smaller. And their impulse to sting is 10 times greater – bees will pursue victims as far as half of a mile away from hives.Killer Bees: A Scientific Experiment Gone Wronghttp://kut.org/post/killer-bees-scientific-experiment-gone-wrong
15141 as http://kut.orgThu, 09 Jun 2016 18:00:00 +0000Killer Bees: A Scientific Experiment Gone WrongMose BucheleWhen a lot of people suddenly notice the same thing at the same time, it might be worth looking into. This year in Central Texas that's what's happening with fireflies. There is an unusually large number of them lighting up the early evening, and people are wondering why.There Are Tons of Fireflies In Central Texas This Year. Here's Why.http://kut.org/post/there-are-tons-fireflies-central-texas-year-heres-why
15014 as http://kut.orgThu, 19 May 2016 15:38:03 +0000There Are Tons of Fireflies In Central Texas This Year. Here's Why.KUT StaffAustin’s seen its first triple-digit day of the summer. Just before 1 p.m. yesterday, Central Texas thermometers cracked the triple-digit seal, according to the National Weather Service . While the thermostat has thankfully stayed pretty low so far this year in Austin, that’s going to change. When it comes to triple-digit days in Austin, the best way to describe what’s happening is, “Never would’ve been better than late.”Austin's First Triple-Digit Day Arrives Late, With More to Followhttp://kut.org/post/austins-first-triple-digit-day-arrives-late-more-follow
13167 as http://kut.orgTue, 28 Jul 2015 14:18:38 +0000Austin's First Triple-Digit Day Arrives Late, With More to FollowJohn L. Hanson Jr. On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr . speaks with Kenner Rogers, Founder and President of Keymel Technologies, LLC. Rogers, a New Orleans native grew up with a passion for gardening, which later evolved into his love for Science, Metrology and Environmental studies. He often reflects on a commercial that depicted a Native American Indian dishearten by once a pristine landscape that became desolate and defiled due to pollution. That commercial left a profound impact on him, which resulted in the development of a philosophy that, “respect what Mother Nature has provided, and preserve what God has given for future generations,” he says. This philosophy along with the “going green” movement ignited him to seek business opportunities in the field.In Black America Podcast: Keymel Technologies, LLC http://kut.org/post/black-america-podcast-keymel-technologies-llc
11696 as http://kut.orgTue, 25 Nov 2014 03:47:18 +0000In Black America Podcast: Keymel Technologies, LLC Jim Malewitz, Texas TribuneFrom The Texas Tribune : DENTON – Voters will decide whether this North Texas college town will become the state's first city to ban hydraulic fracturing. After a public hearing Tuesday night that stretched into Wednesday morning, the Denton City Council rejected a proposal to ban the method of oil and gas extraction inside the city, which sits on the edge of the gas-rich Barnett Shale. The 5-2 vote kicked the question to the city’s November ballot, the next step in a high-profile property rights clash that will likely be resolved outside of Denton.Denton Council Punts Fracking Ban Proposal To Votershttp://kut.org/post/denton-council-punts-fracking-ban-proposal-voters
10797 as http://kut.orgWed, 16 Jul 2014 15:01:57 +0000Denton Council Punts Fracking Ban Proposal To VotersThis post was updated at 4:47 p.m. ET. The cleanup of an oil spill near the Houston Ship Channel is continuing today, and authorities say they have opened one of the country's biggest ports in a limited capacity this afternoon. As we reported , a collision between two vessels spilled about 168,000 gallons in an area close to a nature preserve. The spill also happened at a bad time, when more than 100 species of birds are resting, foraging or breeding in the sanctuary. KHOU-TV has some good news : "Officials believe most of the oil that spilled Saturday is drifting out of the channel into the Gulf of Mexico, which should limit the impact on bird habitats around Galveston Bay as well as beaches and fisheries important to tourists. " 'This spill — I think if we keep our fingers crossed — is not going to have the negative impact that it could have had,' said Jerry Patterson, commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, the lead state agency on the response to the spill. "The best-caseCleanup Continues After Oil Spill Near Houston Ship Channel http://kut.org/post/clean-continues-after-oil-spill-near-houston-ship-channel
10032 as http://kut.orgTue, 25 Mar 2014 18:41:45 +0000Cleanup Continues After Oil Spill Near Houston Ship Channel Scott NeumanThe State Department says that production of Canadian tar-sand crude, which has a bigger greenhouse gas footprint than other types of oil, is unlikely to be increased if the Keystone XL pipeline goes ahead — and therefore would do little to contribute to climate change. In the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the controversial pipeline, the department takes no position on whether it should be built but notes that tar-sand crude produces 17 percent more greenhouse gases than conventional crude and as much as 10 percent more than heavy crude. "This is only one piece of the information that we'll be considering going forward," State Department Assistant Secretary Kerri-Ann Jones tells NPR's Elizabeth Shogren. The project has long been a lightning rod, not only for relations between Washington and Ottawa but within the U.S., where many conservatives say the project will create jobs, while others fear it will hurt the environment. Reuters says the report reaffirms theU.S. Issues Keystone XL Pipeline Environmental Reviewhttp://kut.org/post/us-issues-keystone-xl-pipeline-environmental-review
9692 as http://kut.orgFri, 31 Jan 2014 21:29:38 +0000U.S. Issues Keystone XL Pipeline Environmental Review